GUITAR NOIR

Stever Hackett, the man who needs no introduction, comes back to the scene with this soild album. To me this album serves as a great bridge from his seventies and eighties works to his modern day gems. A style is here that gets fully introduced in Darktown, perfected in To Watch The Storms, and continued in Wild Orchids. This just shows how Steve wasn't afraid to progress and change his sound, and that can't be said about many musicians, at least not in the degree that it applies to him.

First and foremost, the instumentation on this album is fantastic. Once again, Steve pounds out awesome solos, beautiful melodies, and inspirering arrangments. Also, the feel of this album is very varied. Songs like "In The Heart Of The City" are dark and make you feel uneasy, while songs like "Sierra Quemada" express the true beauty of music. And for me, thats one of the qualities that Hackett has in true form: the ability to shift of the mood of the album without having it feel too chaotic. All the other musicians are in top form as well, really giving this an accomplished feel.

The only downside to this record is, at one point, things get a little down and too calm for too long. Songs like "There Are Many Sides To The Night" go on too long, and songs like "Walk Away From Rainbows" and "Paint Your Picture" don't go anywhere fast. But the strength of the majority of the songs saves this one from being a record to skip.

All in all, this is a solid record. Fans of Hackett's older and newer material will be albe to find something they enjoy in this album. However, this is not a beginniers album. 3.5 stars.